Tens of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators are expected to gather in Washington DC on Tuesday to protest against the increase in anti-Semitic attacks since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
People from across the country are traveling to the “March for Israel,” which will take place on the National Mall, where protesters will condemn anti-Semitism and demand the release of hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the war led to a nearly 400 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States.
The event was organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
Speakers include relatives of some of the hostages, members of Congress including new House Speaker Mike Johnson and actress Debra Messing.
The Jewish Federations of North America said the event will “bring together communities from across the country to show strong solidarity with the people of Israel while calling for the immediate release of the remaining hostages and condemning the rise in anti-Semitism.”
Tens of thousands of Americans are expected to gather in Washington DC on Tuesday to protest a rise in anti-Semitic attacks and demand the return of hostages held by Hamas
People from across the country travel to the March for Israel on the National Mall
Before the rally, people pray on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House
Yeshiva University in New York canceled classes on Tuesday and 2,500 students are expected at the rally, university president Rabbi Ari Berman told The Washington Post.
Although there were no direct threats against the demonstration, organizers said they expected the presence of counter-protesters and police said they would increase their presence.
The rally has already significantly impacted traffic in D.C., with parking restrictions and closures for much of the day. While the rally is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. EST, gates are expected to open as early as 10:00 a.m.
Fourth Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW will remain closed until 5 a.m. Wednesday.
Seventh Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW, 3rd Street from Pennsylvania Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW, Madison Drive from 4th Street to 14th Street, NW, Jefferson Drive from 4th Street to 14th Street, SW, Maryland Avenue from Independence Avenue to 3rd Street, SW, 14th Street entrance from 14th Street to Independence Avenue, SW and the 12th Street Tunnel will be closed until Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.
The rally has already significantly impacted traffic in D.C., with parking restrictions and closures for much of the day
The October 7 Hamas attacks left over 1,000 Israelis dead and 240 kidnapped – sparking the region’s most significant conflict in years.
More than 11,000 people have been killed since Israel began its counterattack in Gaza.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said there have been attacks on businesses run by Jews, in addition to attacks on individuals and places of worship.
“I’m not talking about shops that produce IDF.” [Israel Defense Forces] T-shirts; “I’m talking about a coffee shop on Long Island, an ice cream shop in the Bay Area, a restaurant in Chicago,” he said.
Greenblatt also brought up the spate of anti-Semitic incidents that have occurred on the campuses of elite colleges like Harvard and Cornell.
The ADL Center on Extremism said preliminary data showed 312 anti-Semitic incidents, including harassment, vandalism and assault, were reported in the U.S. from Oct. 7 to Oct. 23.
About 190 of these were directly related to the war between Israel and Hamas.
Although there were no direct threats against the demonstration, organizers said they expected counter-protesters to be present
The Jewish Federations of North America said the event will “bring together communities from across the country to show strong solidarity with the people of Israel.”
Examples cited by ADL included alleged physical assaults; violent online messages, particularly on the messaging platform Telegram; and rallies where “the ADL found explicit or strong implicit support for Hamas and/or violence against Jews in Israel.”
The Biden administration has warned that U.S. schools and colleges must take immediate action to stop anti-Semitism and Islamophobia on their campuses, citing an “alarming rise” in threats and harassment.
Last week, the Education Ministry said there was “renewed urgency” to combat discrimination against students during the Israel-Hamas war. The letter reminded schools of their legal duty to protect students and intervene to stop harassment disrupting their education.
“The increase in reports of hate incidents on our campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict is deeply traumatic for students and should be alarming for all Americans,” Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hate contradict everything we stand for as a nation.”
The University of Pennsylvania is just one of the Ivy Leagues facing distress after demonstrations by student groups considered pro-Hamas.
The school is facing a civil rights complaint as it is accused of being a “magnet for anti-Semites” after anti-Israel slogans were projected on several of the school’s buildings last week.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” read a message read at John M. Huntsman Hall on Wednesday evening. The slogan calls for the land from the Jordan to the Mediterranean and means the end of the State of Israel.
This came after the prestigious school increased security and contacted the FBI after receiving a number of reports of threats against Jewish students.
The Brandeis Center said it would file a complaint against the school, saying it had “allowed its campus to become a hostile environment for its Jewish students and a magnet for anti-Semites.”
The school is now facing a civil rights complaint, accusing it of being a “magnet for anti-Semites” after anti-Israel slogans were projected onto several of the school’s buildings
A clip surfaced purporting to show a UPenn student praising Hamas’ “glorious invasion” of southern Israel on October 7
The complaints “seek immediate and concrete action to combat increasing discrimination and harassment against Jews in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
UPenn said Monday that several of its employees had received “vile, disturbing anti-Semitic emails” threatening violence against Jews on campus, particularly at Penn Hillel, a Jewish organization on campus, and at Lauder College House .
University President Liz Magill wrote, “These messages also contained hateful language that targeted the personal identities of the recipients.” Penn’s Department of Public Safety was immediately notified and responded. Penn Police have also notified the FBI of this potential hate crime and a joint investigation is underway.
Magill has also admitted to “swastikas and hate-filled graffiti” and “chant at rallies that were captured on video and widely distributed, glorifying Hamas’ terrorist atrocities, celebrating and praising the slaughter and kidnapping of innocent people, and questioning Israel’s right to do so.” “exist.”